Chapter nineteen – The Strength of the Heart

Faster than eyes could track, Crunch had slammed Crash into the side of the cliff, pinning him against the rock by the throat with his metal hand. Crash's brows were furrowed in complete astonishment. He had been caught completely off-guard, and this thought was just beginning to register. He grasped his hands on either side of Crunch's large metal wrist, but there was nothing he could do to loosen the hold. Crunch was snarling savagely, baring his teeth with animal intensity. There was no doubt in Tawna's mind. Crunch was going to kill him.

"Crunch! What are you doing?" Coco cried out in horror.

As Coco rushed forward, Tawna noticed subconsciously that the Tigress had leapt forward to stand in her path.

"You can't help your brother now, my sweet. Let's see how strong you are without him."

Tawna was too dazed to be concerned for the younger bandicoot, and as the two fighting figures passed out of her vision she disregarded them. Her mouth was trembling in terror at the sight she saw before her. Without considering the possible consequences, Tawna followed her instinct.

She grasped Crunch's arm and held on tight. It was his natural arm that she held, and it felt warm to her touch and wet with blood. She gazed up at Crunch's snarling face. His eyes were alien, utterly vacant of the previous life that used to flicker within them. He was nothing less than a monster now. Still, Tawna did not disengage.

"Please Crunch." She spoke softly, gazing into his eyes. "Let him go."

Crunch turned to face her, his lip curled in a snarl as he bared his terrifyingly sharp teeth. He tried to throw her off of him, but she remained attached with all of her strength. She could hear Crash's strangled voice as she continued to hold on.

"Tawna…get out of here." He rasped, trying to force some influence into his weak voice.

Tawna shook her head automatically, tears pouring from her eyes. She felt her fingers grasping tightly around his muscular arms, and she had no intention of releasing. Crunch, realizing his first attempt was useless, slammed Tawna against the rock in hopes of crushing her. Tawna uttered a small cry of pain as she felt the rock cut into her back, but she still didn't let go.

"Damn it, Crunch!" She could hear Crash's voice manage again. "Stop it!"

Tawna pressed her forehead to Crunch's arm, breathing in the scent of coppery blood against his fur. She whimpered in devastation. She found the courage to look up again.

"I'm not letting you go." She spoke in a hoarse voice. "If you want me off so bad, you're going to have to kill me. I will not abandon you."

As she looked into Crunch's eyes, she thought she could almost see a slight flicker within them. She searched deeper, and again she saw it. However, the flicker was weak. Tawna held tighter and poured more of the love and admiration she felt for him into her eyes.

"Crunch." She pleaded quietly. "Please come back. Please. I need you. I don't want to live without you. Please..."

Tawna pressed her face against his strong arm again as tears flooded from her eyes.

"I love you."

He felt as though he was encased in a stifling black fog. No matter where he went, he could not escape it. He felt anger and fear racing through him mercilessly. He didn't know where he was, or who he was. Everything was lost in the void of fog. He could feel overwhelming pain slicing through him at every passing moment, but he could not decipher where it was coming from. He was locked within a mental prison he could not escape. The sensation was so horrible that he simply wished for something to kill him. He didn't want to exist in a surreal world. If such was his fate, he would be better off dead.

As he endured the pain and the antagonizing fury rushing through him, he thought he could hear a sound. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. When he opened his eyes, a faint light greeted him. Unsure where this light would lead him, he warily placed his trust. He followed the light, and as he did it grew brighter and brighter. The darkness was beginning to fade. Through the haze, Crunch could make out visions as though he was looking at them for the first time. He remained encaged. He could not find an escape. The strength of the unknown force weighing him down was dominating his mind once again. He began to recede back, exhausted and crestfallen.

Suddenly, he heard a voice. It was so clear, so horribly desperate that he could not help but listen. The words rung through his ears and warming his soul to its very core. It was incredible. Only three simple words.

I love you.

These words were what caused him to fight. He would not be controlled, and he would not die. He would fight through this poison so that he could return the same three words to her.

Tawna saw Crunch blink. It was just one blink, but it was as though darkness had shifted into light in the span of that simple movement. Crunch gazed at her, an expression of dazed confusion on his face. Tawna felt a smile stretch her features as her heart overflowed with joy. He was back. Crunch opened his lips.

"Tawna…"

A sudden movement captured Crunch's attention. Crash, still pinned most irritatingly, slapped Crunch across the ear.

"Yo! Remember me?" Crash rasped, his expression annoyed. "You can let go now."

Crunch jolted back in shock at what he had almost done, letting Crash drop to the ground in a panting heap. He grasped his throat as he struggled to replenish his lungs. Tawna dropped to his side in effort to help. Crunch could only gape in surprise at what had transpired.

"Crash." Crunch said, unknowing what to say. "I'm..."

As Crash coughed, he pointed vigorously to the battle taking place not eight feet from them.

"I know, I know. You're sorry. Well if you're really sorry," Crash said between coughs. "You'll get rid of that chick."

Crunch turned, and his expression frosted over. Without pausing a moment, Crunch charged into the midst of the battle. In the fight Coco was holding her own, but by the way the Tigress fought, it was apparent she had been on the offensive for most of the fight. When the Tigress caught sight of Crunch rushing at her, her eyes widened in absolute shock.

"Impossible…" She snarled in disbelief.

With his awareness returned and his fury peaked, Crunch would not be defeated. Tawna knew this, and she suspected the Tigress knew this as well. Despite this, she did not disengage. She fought to the best of her capability, but with the endless assaults of Crunch, Coco, and soon Crash when he recovered his wind, she finally gave up. Bruised and battered, the Tigress propelled herself backward into the shelter of the trees. She turned and offered one last glare of hatred.

"You will regret this defiance, bandicoots, I promise you."

And with that, the Tigress disappeared into the thick canopy of trees.

Tawna had not yet risen from her place on the ground. She simply watched the resolution of the battle, feeling a warm sense of relief in the pit of her stomach as their relentless enemy fled the battle. She combed her fingers through her stringy hair, glad that finally the rain was subsiding. Her eyes remained glued upon Crunch. The larger bandicoot seemed very uncomfortable with the idea of apologizing, and it was painfully apparent that he wanted to attempt it. Thankfully, Crash spoke up first.

"Well, that was a night and a half, wasn't it? Shee, I haven't been beaten that silly since our last entanglement with Cortex's thugs. You sure have a mean grip Crunch." Crash slapped Crunch on the arm good-naturedly. "But I gotta say, you cut it close snapping out of it."

"Are you alright, big brother?" Coco asked with concern.

"Don't worry about me. Made of rubber, remember?" Crash grinned. "This hide can withstand anything."

Coco allowed a relieved smile.

"Thank goodness." She turned to Crunch with the same concerned expression. "Crunch, what happened to you?"

Crunch hesitated, searching for words. Crash apparently perceived this as well because he wrapped a distracting arm around his sister's shoulders.

"Everyone has an off day, Coco. Now, what the real question is why didn't your fancy kung-fu moves do squat against that crazy killer you were fighting with?"

Coco's jaw dropped indignantly.

"Squat? I was fighting her by myself for a while you know, one on one, and she didn't get the upper hand. Get off my back."

Crash and Coco continued to banter as they started walking toward home. Tawna attempted to struggle to her feet, but her legs were too weak to support her. She collapsed back down with a small whimper. Suddenly, Crunch dropped at her side. Tawna inhaled sharply in surprise at the unprepared appearance, and found that she didn't know what to say to him. His eyes were as calm and calculating as she remembered when she first met him. She turned away from his intense gaze, embarrassed for a reason she could not explain. She felt Crunch's finger gently brush her cheek. Tawna turned in response, and lost herself in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Crunch asked softly, his tone hesitant.

Tawna nodded slowly without speaking. Crunch seemed to know that she was having trouble standing, because he carefully lifted her from the ground and cradled her in his strong arms. He followed Crash and Coco, his jaw stern and expression unreadable. Tawna leaned her cheek against his muscular chest, feeling her worries dissolve at each strong heartbeat she could feel within him. When he spoke, it was a whisper in the breeze.

"Thank you."

Tawna glanced up at him, her brow angled in confusion.

"For what?"

Crunch answered with the smallest of smiles, and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. Tawna felt tears gathering in her eyes again. She took her bottom lip between her teeth and smiled as she leaned against him, feeling safer in his arms than she had ever felt before.

Author's Note:

Yikes, I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted some chapters. Appologies. However, a huge thank you for the support from everyone who is still interested and continuing to leave reviews. I'm very grateful for them, and it's such a handy motivation boost to know that people are enjoying the story. We're nearing the end of this particular installment, but I'm hard at work on the next story in this series. Thanks for your patience:)

-Bandi Cute